Ringing of the phone!
Why does it always bring bad news?
Dad had an accident!
Ira felt helpless. Why? Why does fate want to repeat itself?
She was shivering her lips parted making an anxious sound:
"Is he alive?"
"What nonsense are you saying sister. Of course, he is alive. He is an operation theatre. I don't exactly know but it was not life-threatening." Ashay replied.
"What if something happened to him?" Ira couldn't control her tears which were flowing like an opened tap.
She couldn't help but think negatively. Her pessimist assumptions, with vast distance and no contact with her dad, was literally sucking out her soul.
"Ira he is fine for now. Let us go see him first!" Viv tried to console her.
Rushing straight from airport to the hospital, Ira sprang to the ward. But her feet paused.
She couldn't build up the courage to look at her dad lying on the hospital bed.
The past visions of her dad on a stretcher with a bloody face, his broken and bleeding chest were haunting her.
"Dad," she said quietly.
"How is he?"She inquired with a doctor nearby.
"He was saved due to luck. There was a wound just beside a main artery of the leg. If that would have torn the artery then he probably would have bled to death in that remote village."
Doctor explained. Discussing, both he and Viv went to his office.
She stood in front of the ward, refusing to push the door in. There was a pungent smell of disinfectant ward.
She stood rooted for half an hour.
Still Scared!
"Why do you stand at the door and don't come in?" A familiar but hoarse voice woke her up.
With her dad's voice, the fear which was drowning her vanished, instantly. She sprang up with life.
"Dad" Ira looked at him with a faint look, tightened her hand. This man is almost 50 years old but with the well-maintained face, traces of the years cannot be seen.
"Dad, " she called again.
Ira squatted to the bed and shouted," Dad, are you okay. Why go to that remote factory?"
The man in the hospital bed snorted
"It got into some issues when you left.I went to resolve those."
The factory she built in a remote place for secrecy of her drug.
"Also, it was not my fault. My old car betrayed me!" he laughed.
"What? How?" Ira looked at him in confusion.
"Brakes were failed. I lost control of the car," he explained.
"Dad, Do you suspect anyone?"
she asked.
"Who would want this old one's life?" he denied.
Shivering and shaking hands she digested the new information.
Her Dad is lively, daunting, and more frightening. Everyone was scared of this man. Not many would have the courage to go against her father.
Except for James!
Ira's word was seeded in the heart of Dad, just waiting to sprout.
No one knew about his trip to the recent factory. Not many even knew the location of the factory.
'Why would someone harm me!'
Her beliefs were confirmed with evidence in her hand.